What: John Lewis Partnership might not be a partnership anymore in the future.

Why it is important: Times are troubled for the iconic retailer, which is losing ground to Mark’s & Spencer, and which has been unable to pay bonuses to its staff for the past 2 years.

UK retailer John Lewis (John Lewis department stores and Waitrose hypermarkets) is reported to consider a sale of a stake in its business, after 73 years of operating as a staff-owned partnership. The goal would be to sell a stake worth £1 to £2bn, in order to invest in Waitrose and build a performing IT infrastructure, in order to follow up with the massive store opening that took place between 2000 and 2025, from 151 to 379 stores).

However, some experts doubt this version and suggest that this is a recapitalization in disguise, in order to cover the 2022 losses (£234m) which came on top of the 2021 ones (£27m).

Any decision would have to be approved by the chair, the board and the partnership council, a representative body with elected members from the workforce.

John Lewis is reported to consider reviewing its staff ownership structure